We Four Huffs

May The Force Be With You....

2009-04-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

Okay...I almost forgot to post photos from Benjamin's birthday party!!! We had the best darn little Star Wars party ever!! Benjamin and his buddies got to put on Darth Vadar masks (except the girls...who can blame them!) while the grown ups visited and enjoyed some good food. The day was extra special because we were also celebrating the finalization of Maggie's adoption!

Four Years Ago Today...

2009-04-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

We had just arrived home from a trip out of town. We'd spent a long weekend in Modesto at a friend's baby shower. Nate and I had lived with Jennifer in college and here she was pregnant with a baby boy due in May! We had been speaking to a potential birthmother before we left town. She was also pregnant with a baby boy due in May. We were pretty excited about the prospect but knew that she had other families to talk with and meet.

I had just gotten out of the shower, I think it was around 9:00 in the morning. I remember looking at the suitcases we hadn't unpacked since we'd returned home the night before. The phone rang...I remembered that this potential birthmother was supposed to call but I didn't think it could be her already. I answered the phone and sure enough...it was Amber! She called to tell me that she was in the hospital....she was in labor....and she had picked us! I told her we'd get to her as quickly as we could and hung up to call Nate.

Nate was home from work within an hour making hotel reservations for Sandy, Utah. We unpacked our "modesto" clothes and repacked for April in Utah. We drove to the airport to catch the first flight out of San Diego that we could. The first flight out left almost immediately and the tickets were at exorbitant amount. The next flight was just under an hour and much MUCH more affordable. We decided to wait the hour for the next flight. Little did we know what that decision would cost us!

As the time approached for our flight to depart it became clear that things were not moving on time. Our plane had mechanical difficulties. After several hours our plane was finally ready for departure. Unfortunately we missed our connecting flight in Phoenix and had several more hours to wait at that airport. When we landed in Phoenix we got the message from Amber's mom Janet that the baby had been born. She said he was beautiful and that they couldn't wait for us to get there!

We arrived in Salt Lake City around 11:30pm and were waiting for our luggage when Janet called. She wanted to make sure we would still go by the hospital that night. She and Amber were anxious to meet us in person! We finally arrived at the hospital (after driving around in the dark trying to find the entrance) sometime after midnight.

When I walked through the hospital room door I saw Amber first. She looked tired and wired at the same time. She was so beautiful with a mane of curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. She looked as relieved as we felt to finally be there. Then she pointed to a tiny baby boy sleeping in the bassinett. He was the smallest baby I had every seen. He had on a little cap and he was all snuggled in a receiving blanket. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and I knew my life would never be the same after that moment.

I will always remember the story of Benjamin's birth, though not the same way that women remember giving birth to their children. I will always be a little sad that I wasn't present when Benjamin made his way into the world and took his first breath. But I will always be SO grateful to his birthmother Amber for her bravery and to his birthgrandmother Janet for the support she provided in our absence. On April 5, 2005 our lives were changed forever by the birth of our son Benjamin and the addition of Amber and her family to our family. We are SO blessed to have them all in our lives!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!!

And Now....Pictures!

2009-03-19T11:07:00.001-07:00

Just For You Auntie Jill!

2009-03-11T23:35:00.000-07:00

Yes...yes...I am a bad blogger. But I actually have some excuses this time. Do you want to hear them? Okay, I will spare you all the details, but our desktop computer has died and I have been working off the laptop. I haven't installed any photo software yet on the laptop so I haven't been able to download any photos. However, I PROMISED Auntie Jill today that I would post an update on the blog. So here it is, the photos will come later.

So I'm sure you are wondering why it was so important that I update the blog today of all days. Well, Wed. March 11 was a very important day in the Huff family. This morning we went to court to finalize Maggie's adoption. IT'S OFFICIAL!!!! Maggie is now legally our daughter...yea!!! Yes, I spent hours searching for the perfect outfits for Maggie and Benjamin, we woke up extra early to get ready and look beautiful (I swear....I will post photos soon!) and rushed down the the courthouse. In attendance were Nate, me, Benjamin, Maggie, Grandma McCurdy, Grandma Suzy, Auntie Jill and Auntie Eli. Thanks to you guys for sharing our special day with us!!

We waited a few minutes in the hall, then we waited a little while in the courtroom. Lucky for us they went by age (youngest going first) so we were first to be lead into the judge's chambers. It took all of 2 minutes to complete the process (always surprisingly anti-climactic) and then we were rushed out with our paperwork! Lastly we all enjoyed breakfast at The Pancake House. I can't believe it's actually over. The only thing left to do is apply for Maggie's Social Security card. I'm sure THAT will be fun!!

Love & Laundry

2009-01-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

I was shocked to realize I haven't blogged in almost a month. I really must stay off Facebook once in awhile! For those of you interested...here are some happenings from our house lately. The biggest news (as far as I am concerned) is that we FINALLY broke down and bought a new washer and dryer. Our dryer had died...well, at least partly. It was taking about 3 hours to dry one load. The GE repairman said it wasn't worth the cost to fix it. So Nate and I searched and searched. We debated buying a used dryer...but they were at least $250 and were about 30 years old! No thanks! So then we looked at lower end new ones but figured since we were spending the money we might as well get what we really REALLY wanted. So I am the proud owner of a front loading LG washer and dryer. The day we got it Nate and I just stood in front of it and watched our clothing being laundered...it was so quiet I didn't think it was working! Very happy with our purchase so far!

Okay...on to the good stuff. The kids are growing and changing more and more every day! Benjamin has become so well spoken and funny...and quite the smart alec sometimes! We just bought a Wii game system, and we weren't sure that Benjamin would have the dexterity to play the games. We were completely wrong! He almost kicked my butt bowling tonight! I love it because he gets so physically active when he plays...he actually sleeps better at night! I was concerned about the whole video game thing with a three year old, but I looked on the American Academy of Pediatrics website, and for his age they recommend no more than 2 hours a day of combined television, video games and computer time. He's really good a decided if he wants to blow the whole 2 hours playing video games or if he wants to save some for television later. And the best part...I finally have a bagaining chip to get his cooperation!

Maggie is doing fabulous! She is beginning to get rather "chatty" and has just started rolling over! She hates her "tummy time" but will put up with it if she can look at herself in the mirror. She still eats about every 3 hours except at night, then it's about every 5 hours. She is absolutely, positively in LOVE with her Daddy (as evidenced in these photos.) She will just light up when she sees him! She is getting a lot more social and doesn't like to feel left out. I swear, she can be sound asleep when I put dinner on the table and as soon as we start eating she begins to fuss. Once Nate puts her near the table by us she is happy as a clam!

Caught Her Smiling!

2009-01-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Okay...So I realize I haven't been blogging as much as I should be lately. But boy it's very true what everyone told me before we adopted Maggie, having two children is exponentially more work. One friend said I might as well have 30 children! Well, with 30 children I would hope that at least some of them would know how to do laundry!! Which reminds me...my dryer is broken. The repairman comes tomorrow so say a little prayer that it is an inexpensive thing to fix! Now...for the purpose of this post!

Maggie was at the doctor on Friday for her two month check-up. Other than a littl reflux Maggie is doing just great! She weighs 11 lbs. 1 oz. which is a gain of almost 3 pounds! She is 23 inches long....read that looooonnnnngggg. She is getting too long for her 3 month sized clothes but they are swimming around her waist! She slept through the night for the first time last night....THAT'S RIGHT.....ALL night!! I know that officially once babies are sleeping 5 hours straight that is officially "sleeping through the night." But last night she slept from 9:30pm until 7:30 this morning...HEAVEN!! Let's hope she does it again tonight...I won't be holding my breath though. Maggie is also smiling a TON but it's sort of difficult to catch with the camera. Lucky for me the other day I finally caught her smiling!

My Little Angel...

2008-12-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

Best Big Brother Ever!!

2008-12-07T20:28:00.001-08:00

Super Heroes

2008-12-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Lately Benjamin has really really been into all the Super Heroes. You know the ones...Superman, Spiderman, Batman, etc. He has also been completely addicted to anything Star Wars. This was not my doing of course but Nate's...now he finally has someone to watch all those Star Wars episodes with! So there we were the other night, watching The Empire Strikes Back, Benjamin recreating the epic battle between Darth Vadar and Luke Skywalker. He was wearing his pink Superhero cape (yes...it's pink...he created it out of one of Maggie's blankets.) So Benjamin is "Hya...Hya"-ing his way around the living room (for some reason his battles involve some sort of hybrid martial arts!) and he comes over to me and touches me on the arm. With a very sincere look on his face he says "Mommy, some day you will be a Superhero too." He was so serious!!! I had to stop myself from laughing because I was afraid I would offend him! Benjamin...my little Jedi Knight!

Time For A Change!

2008-12-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

Frankly, I'm not sure anyone is actually reading this blog any longer, but it was looked sad, worn and outdated so I figured it was time for a change. The biggest change of course (in the blog and in life) is the newest addition to the Huff Family. Maggie Rose was born Oct. 29th in New Haven, Connecticut. She is a little love with the chubbiest kissable cheeks you've ever seen! She keeps us busy but we wouldn't trade it for anything! Benjamin is about the best big brother in the whole world. He was in love with Maggie from the first second he saw her and he's already so protective! He refers to her as his baby and let's me know that he's just sharing her with me. He's the resident expert on all things Maggie, "Mommy, Baby Maggie is hungry" "Mommy, Baby Maggie spit up" "Mommy, I think Baby Maggie wants her binky." Oh yea...if you ask Benjamin what her name is he says "Baby Maggie." He did not like any of the cute nicknames we had begun to call her but did finally say it was okay to call her "Squeeky" since she actually squeeks! So now we are a family of four! Now it's time for me to sign off...Baby Maggie is hungry!

Heard Around Our House Recently

2008-10-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another blog but kept forgetting all the cute things Benjamin was saying. Well, lately there has been a plethora of cute and not-so-cute stuff!! Sometimes I wonder...am I the mother of a preschooler or a teenager? Here are some of the recent "gems" out of Benjamin's mouth.

"Jerkhead!" (This we heard once....and never since!)
"I don't want to be your friend anymore."
"I'm not talking to you!"
"YOU'RE MEAN!" (while sobbing uncontrollably on a time-out)
"I'm putting YOU on a time out!"
"You're giving me a headache!" (I SWEAR...neither Nate nor I have EVER said this!"
(Big breath in through the nose) "All I smell is bugers!"
"Why does that boy talk like a girl?" (Said loudly in front of a young man with an unfortunately high pitched voice.)

There are probably a million more that I can't think of right now. I am convinced that some of these are things he has learned from Preschool....especially the "Jerkhead" one....he told me his friend taught him that! Do you recognize any of these from your childrens' mouths?

***Update-I was feeling sort of bad after I posted these recent phrases from Benjamin. I do find them amusing (you should have seen me trying to stiffle a laugh when I heard them!) but they don't exactly paint an accurate picture of Benjamin. I was reminded of this recently when, while shopping at Target, Benjamin leaned over to give me a hug and said SO sweetly "Mommy...I love your heart!" He also followed it up with "And I love your big brain!" I swear...I didn't coach him to say that....he's just very intuitive! But these are the kinds of phrases that are more commonplace in my house. Although Benjamin has his moments...he is really a very sweet boy!

One of Two Cool Ideas (that I stole from other people!)

2008-09-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

I meant to blog about this awhile ago....but better late than never!! As many of you know we have turned what was once our office into the official play room now. All the toys have been taken out of Benjamin's room and now there is actually room for another baby...yea! So while we were making this transformation (office to play room) we decided to put some kid friendly art on the walls. We ordered some prints online and framed them but I also made something that I think is pretty cool! It's a place to hang Benjamin's artwork. I have to give credit to my cousin Stacy (thanks Stacy!) whom I ripped the idea off from, but I added a few things to make it my own. Here is a picture...

The whole thing was really quite easy! I took an extra piece of baseboard that we had, painted it white, mailed some picture hangers to the front and hung the large claw clips to them. It's sort of hard to see how cute it really is....and I probably could have used a brighter color, but I like it! And the really important thing is that Benjamin LOVES it...he can't wait to hang his artwork on it.

Here are some photos of the new play room area and the new artwork...

It's so nice to have all of Benjamin's toys out and accessible instead of being tucked away in his closet or on shelves in his room. And it's great that everything has a place to go...so Benjamin knows how to put them all away too! All of his books are in the bookcase to the right so he can get them out to read whenever he likes. He is very happy about the new play room! Okay...stayed tuned for info on the other great idea I stole!

The Funky Funky Ball Triple Lip!

2008-09-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ever since his Grandpa's retirement party Benjamin has been quite the dancer! He was trying to stall going to bed tonight and said he just wanted to "listen to music and do a funky dance." I wasn't sure what a "funky dance" was so I had to check it out! At the end of the video when I asked him what he called his dance, he said it was the "Funky, Funky Ball Triple Lip!" I have NO idea what that is....but hope you enjoy watching it! And in case you were wondering....yes, that's me, telling my 3 year old son to shake his money maker!

A Time To Give!

2008-08-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Nate and I have been readying the house recently for a very special visitor. We figured it would be a good time to go through our cabinets and closets and begin to make room for another baby! Our house is fairly small (Nate likes to call it "cozy") and we don't have a lot of storage space, so it's important we don't hang on to stuff we don't need for too long. I cannot tell you how good it felt to purge our stuff and donate the items to charity. Here is what we gave recently.....

235 books donated to the library (you should see all the books we kept!)
75 shirts (dress, casual, t-shirts and blouses)
24 pairs of pants (slacks, jeans)
8 suits
5 sweaters (who needs sweaters in San Diego?)
5 Jackets/Coats
8 skirts
3 dresses
10 hats (have we every worn hats?)
4 belts
35 pairs of shoes (yes...33 pairs were mine, and I STILL have a closet full of shoes!)
2 GIANTS bags of boy's clothes
2 King Sizes comforters/Bedding Sets
Various kitchen items
countless knick knack type items

WHEW!! How can we have gotten rid of that much stuff and still have a whole house full of stuff?!? Some of the clothing items were my dressy/work clothes from when I had a job. Since I've decided that when/if I go back to work someday I will NEVER wear pantyhose again...I felt it was safe to give away all the dressy clothes I'll never wear again. I feel so much lighter now!! I think I will make this a twice yearly event so it doesn't take so much work next time!

Diana

2008-08-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for the somber mood of this post. Generally I try to post stories and events that are uplifting, but I just needed to express myself today.

My cousin Diana was killed on June 26, 2006, just a few months after her 40th birthday. She was the first born of my mother's twin sister and I spent a lot of time with her when we were children. As a child I idolized Diana, she was so cool! I'll always remember her baby blue satin jacket with matching satin cap(it was the '70's!) and her Dorothy Hamill haircut. My hair was always too curly for that look!

Diana always seemed a little larger than life to me growing up. She was fun and exciting with lots of friends. She had a fiery personality, lots of opinions and she was just a tad stubborn at times. As an adult Diana was audacious, loved a great party, enjoyed being a hostess and craved the attention of her loved ones. She also had big dreams. After her death I discovered that Diana had been planning, collecting and making purchases for her future. She desperately wanted to move from her apartment into a house...a home. She was buying things for this future home, dishes, an outside barbecue, red flower pots. She had plans. Diana was shattered by the death of her brother in a random act of violence. I travelled to the Bay Area to help Diana and her sister make funeral arrangements for Darren. Little did we know that only 11 months later her sister and I would be grieving her death and making her funeral arrangements.

Yesterday morning a jury of 12 convicted Diana's "husband" of 2nd degree murder. Was it justice? It seems that both sides are a little disappointed. The defense was hoping for manslaughter, 6 years in jail, then starting his life over. I won't talk about him though...he's already received too much attention. The prosecution was hoping for 1st degree murder, minimum of 25 years until his first chance at parole. In the end we'll all have to be satisfied with the 15 years he'll serve before he's eligible for parole, and hope the parole board hears our pleas when we request that he not be released at that time. Diana's two boys will be 29 and 31 years old then. They will have lived out the remaining of their teenage years and catapulted into adulthood without a mother by their side.

I was able to travel to Martinez to attend a good portion of the trial. I only wish I could have been there to hear the verdict. I'm still struggling to forget the brutal details of her murder that came out during the trial. I don't want to remember the autopsy photo I accidentally glimpsed as the jurors were passing it around. I don't want to recall the details of the crime. I just want to remember Diana, in that baby blue satin jacket, with her Dorothy Hamill haircut. She was larger than life and she will be greatly missed!

Goofy Guys

2008-08-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

The last weekend in July our "Adoptive Friends" playgroup had our annual Family BBQ. Once again this event was graciously hosted by the Mayes' family at their beautiful home in Point Loma. We enjoyed our usual menu of carne asada with all the trimmings. This is always one of my favorite events, and since Benjamin and I hadn't made it to playgroup for a few months, I was really looking forward to catching up with all our friends!

The kids played for hours in the backyard, making bubbles with the giant bubble wands, doing "yard work" with the Home Depot yard tools, and playing in the jumpy house. When the party moved inside Benjamin had a blast playing with Ethan and all of his toys. Benjamin especially loved playing with Ethan's trash trucks! They were having so much fun and acting to goofy together! I took this photo (during one of the rare moments they would hold still) of their "Funny Noses."

Lazy Summer Afternoon

2008-07-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

I just love watching Benjamin in this position. He's there often...crouched down close to the ground examing some bit of nature. Usually it is a leaf or a stick but often it is some kind of bug. I love how he has to get so close to look at the thing. I usually don't have a camera around when he is in this position but I got lucky this particular afternoon. The weather was perfect and we were just hanging out in the backyard together....a lazy Summer afternoon!

Earth to Benjamin....

2008-07-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

After his nap today Benjamin was talking about being an astronaut (one of his many favorite things to play at being.) Nate jumped up and said "We've got to get your space suit on!" and took him to his room. A few minutes later this is what emerged....

He looks like a pretty serious astronaut doesn't he? He's got on his "space suit", his "jet pack" on his back (otherwise known as his Thomas the Train backpack) and his "space helmet" (which I think makes him look a little more like a coal miner!) I guess the horse flashlight comes in handy in space....it's dark out there! I tried to get him to smile for the photos but Benjamin doesn't seem to think astronauts smile!

Guess What.......Chicken Butt!

2008-07-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to post about this earlier. Benjamin has become quite the jokster lately and somehow learned this new joke (okay...it's was me that taught it to him!)

Benjamin: "Guess What!"
You: "What?"
Benjamin: "Chicken Butt!"

Then Benjamin proceeds to roll around on the floor laughing his behind off! It was funny for the first...50 times! Now it has gotten a little old....it's difficult to summon up the same level of amusement that he has! After we taught him the joke Benjamin really wanted Nate to tell HIM the joke so he said "Daddy....speak to me about the chicken butt!" Now THAT was funny!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Okay...I know...it's been a month since I posted. Life has been sort of busy in the Huff household. Here are a few updates....

Benjamin finished soccer on June 21st and was awarded a medal (probably for best grass picking!)

I believe we have just about finished potty training...I'm keeping my fingers crossed! He has had only a couple of accidents in about 4 weeks. He still wears a pull up when he is sleeping though.

Nate and I FINALLY found the PERFECT Preschool for Benjamin..yea! We looked high and low and so many schools and just weren't feeling comfortable with any of them. We had one last school to look at last week and it is the one!! He will start going 8:30-3:30 on Tues. and Thurs. beginning Sept. 2. I bought him a new backpack from Pottery Barn with his name on it...so cute!

Nate survived his 21 hour plane trip to Malaysia!! I can't believe he was SO far away from us for 6 days (I think it was like 17,000 miles!) Malaysia is 15 hours ahead so Nate experienced some serious jet lag when he returned.

I organized a MAJOR event at our church (a Summer BBQ) the weekend after Nate returned from Malaysia. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun! It was the first event I have organized at church so now I really feel like I know how to do things.

I hope you all had a fabulous, fun and safe 4th of July holiday! We decided to stick close to home and just hung out in our backyard. We put the tent up so Benjamin could "camp" (although we opted to sleep in our comfy beds!) We had some friends over and listened to music, made s'mores and enjoyed the warm evening. It was a fun holiday! Here's a photo of Nate reading Benjamin one of his favorite books in the tent. It's called "P.J. Funny Bunny Camps Out!"

Happy Memorial Day!

2008-06-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

This year for Memorial Day we were invited to a BBQ at our friends' The Foley's house. We have all been so busy lately that it's been awhile since Benjamin has been able to play with his friend Gracie...so he was really excited! Gracie's cousins Tristan and Hayley were all in attendance and the kids has SO much fun playing together. Since the kids are all 2 or 3 years old there were a few hairy moments when someone (Benjamin) was stealing someone else's toys, or when everyone wanted to jump on the trampoline at the same time. The kids were amazing though and were able to work things out with just a tiny bit of prompting from the moms. It's always fun for Benjamin to play with other children his age, but this was especially poignant since all of the children had been adopted. It's so nice to be able to talk with Benjamin about other children that were adopted like he was! Benjamin really got a kick out of this apron and chef's hat. He was "cooking" up dinners left and right for everyone! He loved it so much that I had to get him his own...now he can dress up and cook whenever he wants at home!

Not A Post About Benjamin!

2008-06-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

I know....my blog enteries are all about Benjamin...but I just had to share one tidbit about Nate and I! On May 25th we celebrated our anniversary. Nate planned a really SUPER romantic evening that involved a babysitter!! Cousin Brita was nice enough to entertain Benjamin while we went to a real grown up dinner.

Nate chose a restaurant in Hillcrest (Downtown San Diego) called "California Cuisine." It's a restaurant he remembers his parent frequenting when he was a kid. It's still around and it's still getting great reviews so we made the journey downtown. The restaurant is really cute with a seating area up front in front of picture windows that contains an art gallery. Then they have the sweetest little patio seating out back that reminded me of the restaurants we ate at while visiting Manhatten. Since the weather had just been rainy and was still fairly chilly (by San Diego standards!) and very windy we opted to sit at a little area in between the main dining room and the patio. We definitely had the best of both worlds.

The restaurant is known for a changing menu that offers only the freshest foods. The food was just fabulous...one of the best meals we've had in San Diego! They also make their desserts on the premises and we opted for a chocolate....yummy melty cake thingy (I've forgotten the name!) with a side of homemade rocky road ice cream....YUM!!! I also had the pleasure of drinking a couple of VERY good Lemon Drop Martinis and a glass of fantastic Tawny Port with my dessert. The meal was simply wonderful!

Since we are both pretty practical Nate and I opted to not buy gifts for each other but we did have a card for one another. Turns out...we bought each other the same card!! I could NOT believe it...of all the cards in the whole Hallmark store we bought the same one. I guess that's what happens when you've been married for 11 years! Anyhow, a couple of days later Nate and I were browsing at a mattress store (we've been talking about getting a new bed forever!) We found a mattress that was so heavenly we didn't want to leave. Nate decided to buy the mattress and the bed frame for me...a sort of anniversary gift. Now I wake up EVERY morning feeling divine and well rested...thanks to my wonderful husband!

Let The Games Begin!

2008-06-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is the first day of soccer for Benjamin. He is playing on a team through the YMCA with other 3 and 4 year old kids. The experience was...hilarious! I heard someone compare soccer with 3 and 4 year olds to herding cats....sounds about right!! Benjamin's team is called the "Blue Dolphins" which seemed the best choice out of the "Blue Giraffes" and the "Blue Glasses." The kids got to pick their name!

Benjamin had been pretty excited to be playing soccer on a team. He loves to play "soccer ball" in the backyard with the net he got for Christmas. I was excited to buy him shin guards and dress him in a soccer outfit (compliments of Aunt Vicki and Uncle Gene...thanks!) You might notice that, rookie that I am, I didn't realize he would need long socks to COVER the shin guards...oh well!

Benjamin pooped out of his first game pretty quickly once he realized that all the other kids were "playing with that ball" and that he couldn't just add his own ball to the game. As I write this Benjamin has his third game this past Saturday and he did really well. He stayed on the field almost the whole time, although he spent a lot of time kicking over the cones and picking grass to put in his pockets!

I Dressed Myself All By Myself!

2008-06-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Okay...so I've been a bad blogger lately...again!! I'm trying to get back on track. Here are some fun events that have been happening over the last couple of months.

These photos were taken about a month ago. One lazy Sunday afternoon while Nate and I were relaxing Benjamin was playing quietly in his room. Next thing I know he comes out yelling "Mommy! Mommy! I dressed myself all by myself!" When I turned around to look at him I almost burst out laughing! WHAT an ensemble!! The cowboy hat is obvious...but can you see the boots? They are rain boots...dinosaur rain boots! And his "cowboy gloves" are actually gloves with a snowboarding Diego on them. And don't even ask about the pants...I don't know where he left them! After he did his fashion show he began to gallop around the house with his usual "Yee Haw Cowboy!"

ROAR! Benjamin Turns 3!

2008-04-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know it was awhile ago (about two weeks ago actually!) but Benjamin turned 3 years old! I just loaded the photos onto my computer today. Sorry it took so long! We all had a great time at the party! It was a dinosaur theme. There were about 40 guests that enjoyed some of the best pizza in the whole world, and a fantastically wonderful ice cream cake decorated with dinosaurs. Benjamin could hardly hold still for 5 minutes he was so excited! I think his favorite part was riding on the "motorcycle" (a ride on video game) at the pizza parlor. For days afterwards he kept asking, "Can I please go to my birthday party?"

Fastman

2008-04-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

The other evening I was laying on the bed and Benjamin climbed in beside me. He asked, "Will you play "Fastman" with me Mommy?" Fastman?? I asked him how it was played and he showed me. Basically you take a hanger in each hand and shake them back and forth...really....fast (hence the name?) Benjamin said I was really good at the game and I think I might have won! So this got me to thinking about all the other games Benjamin has invented.

The first game we realized he'd made up is called "Scary Turtles." We couldn't fingure this one out for the longest time! He kept asking us to play "Scary Turtles" but when we asked how to play he couldn't explain it. Eventually we discovered the game involves these two plastic Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles (where did those come from?!?) I think the object of the game is to make them fly around the room.

About 4 or 5 months ago Benjamin started asking us to play "Crash." Each participant has some sort of vehicle and then you push them really fast towards each other so they...crash! The only problem is that Benjamin is in charge of telling everyone which vehicle they can play with....and he always gets the biggest one!

I posted previously about the giant box from Costco and how Benjamin turned it into a "spaceship." Well, that became the centerpiece for the game "Space Monsters." Benjamin and I played this game for over 1/2 hour the other day. We each don "space helmets" (his was a plastic backpack and mine was a purple t-shirt) Then you stand really tall with your arms straight at your side and prepare for "Lift Off." Benjamin counts off....5....4.....6....5.....3......Blast Off!! Then we run around the house "flying" through space. Benjamin is referred to as "Captain Benjamin" and I am (of course) "Captain Mommy." The object of the game is to avoid being caught by the "Space Monsters." (which ended up being Nate when he came home and found us!)

It is just amazing to me how much creativity Benjamin has. I have recently decided to try and do some more structured education with him at home. I bought some "learning" books to help teach him to recognize the letters of the alphabet and numbers. It's a lot of fun and he's doing really well with them. But my priority right now is to help him express his creative side in whatever way he wants.

My Favorite Part of the Day

2008-04-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Mealtime around our house can sometimes be rather hectic. We don't always get to eat all 3 meals together. Awhile ago I decided to emphasis dinner as the "family" meal where we would all sit down at the table and eat together. I heard somewhere that it really helps to foster communication with your children, and I was feeling tired of eating dinner in front of the t.v. (yes...I'm ashamed to admit it....Nate and I used to eat dinner in front of the t.v.) I try to make it a really nice event with calming music and dim lights and I begin the meal by asking, "What was the favorite part of your day?" We usually start with Benjamin and then go around the table. I didn't really feel it was making any sort of impact with him, although it was great for Nate and I to talk about our favorite parts of our day. But tonight we went to a restaurant for dinner with my mom and step-dad (who were in town for Benjamin's birthday party!) Obviously we didn't talk about our favorite part of the day at the restaurant. So while I'm sitting here surfing the internet I can hear Benjamin in the bathtub with Nate asking "What was the favorite part of my day Dad?" I guess something is sticking!? By the way....THAT was the favorite part of my day!

Houston...We Have a Problem!

2008-03-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Benjamin is obsessed with spaceships...it rivals his obsession with pirates, although I'm not sure anything could ever surpass his love of all things Pirate! So yesterday we went to Costco and they loaded all our groceries into two gigantic boxes (so convenient!) After we unloaded everything we put the boxes on the kitchen floor to break them down and put them in the recycling. Before we could ever get to it Benjamin had climbed inside the box and declared "I'm in my Spaceship!" And then he says "1...2...3....BLASTOFF!!!" Maybe some day he'll work for NASA!

Now With Photos

2008-03-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Okay...hopefully you read the previous post about our family trip to the beach. Well, about a week later we went back...and this time I brought my camera!

Picture Perfect

2008-03-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

The weather here has just been perfect lately...mid to upper 60's...the sun shining....so we decided to go to the beach the other day. We went to a new spot that we'd never been to before...we arrived around 5:00pm to see the sun beginning it's descent and the wide expanse of sand flat and compact making it very easy to walk. It was gorgeous! It's funny, I've lived in Oceanside for over 10 years now and I never cease to be amazed by the beauty of the ocean.

I purposely didn't bring my camera on this family excursion. Sometimes I think that I'm so concentrated on getting the perfect "shot" that I'm not really seeing everything....not really participating in the experience. Of course the second I saw how beautiful it was I was wishing I'd brought the camera...to capture the moment. We walked along the beach for awhile, Benjamin running and stopping periodically to look at rocks and shells. He likes to play "monster" now so I had to periodically chase him down the beach making monster sounds. Then he would turn the tables and chase me down the beach making his monster roar.

Eventually Benjamin found a good stick (he finds sticks everywhere we go!) and began to dig around in the sand. We wrote our names in the sand and dug up "treasure" (rocks) to put in our pockets. I swear, Benjamin actually found a rock that has a smiling face etched on the face. Nate and Benjamin decided to bury some "treasure" and mark it with an "X" in order to discover it later. We watched the sun drop slowly in the sky until it was pulled all the way down as if weighted on the bottom.

So here are the "photos" I'm left with from this little adventure. I'm walking down the wide flat beach...the water is so blue it is almost electric. The sand is glistening...a little wet with these little gold flecks glittering up from it. In the distance I see the Oceanside Pier and a light fog is just beginning to roll onto shore. I turn around and see Benjamin laughing, running, trying to catch up with me. Nate is walking behind Benjamin, looking at me and smiling with true joy and love.

On our way back to the car. Benjamin is running down the beach with a stick in his hand. He turns around to make sure I'm following him. The setting sun casts a golden glow on his face. His smile is wide and luminous and he's laughing with pure joy. His jeans are rolled up and the bottoms of his feet are black with wet sand clinging to them.

I can see the images so clearly in my mind but the words seem so inadequate in their description. Even now I wish that I had brought my camera and caught the moment with a photo. I could post it here and say "look...it really happened just the way I told you!" But I do wonder...had I brought the camera would I have noticed the moments at all?

I'm A Rocket Ship!!

2008-02-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

I think the picture tells the story here!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2008-02-13T15:15:00.001-08:00

I decided to make a special treat for Valentine's Day (which is actually tomorrow!) I hope no one reads this before they get their treat!! Of course...I'm not sure ANYONE is reading this blog these days! Anyhow, I made heart shaped cookies on a stick in peanut butter and chocolate chip. They came out really cute! A few of them didn't have the stick all the way covered by the cookie so I just frosted them and put these sprinkles all over them. I put them all in Valentine's Day themed cellophane bags with a twist tie. I hope everyone likes them!

A Rude Awakening

2008-01-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

I must have jinxed myself by bragging about how well Benjamin was napping in his new bed finally. Or maybe it was just a figment of my imagination....wishful thinking?? Today he finally took a two hour nap in his bed but he didn't nap at all the 3 days prior. And on top of that...he's been waking up an hour earlier each day...fun for us!!

Saturday was a particularly rude awakening. Usually Benjamin wakes around 7:30 (I know...we're very lucky!) So imagine my surprise when I was laying in bed Saturday morning and the door opened at 6:15am! Benjamin thought he was so funny...he snuck over to Nate's side of the bed and declared "I'm awake!" while turning on the light. Nate asked him to turn the light off and go back to bed...and he seemed to comply.

A few minutes later I heard a noise from the living room...."SZZZZSSSSH" "SZZZSSSSHHH" I thought that he must be playing with his "welding" toy. He came into the bedroom and went to Nate's side of the bed again "SZZZSSSSHHHH" and I hear Nate saying...."What?? What the...Oh...No....MY EYES!!!! MY EYES!!!" Benjamin wasn't playing with his welding toy...he had reached a bottle of Febreze air freshner...and he had sprayed it into Nate's face just as he'd opened his eyes!" Luckily there was no permanent damage....and now I have to store the chemicals even higher so Benjamin can't reach them!!

Rock On!

2008-01-15T19:14:00.001-08:00

The other night we went ot dinner with our friend Elizabeth ("Auntie Eli".) Since it was a weekend (and everything would be SO crowded) we decided to try a new pizza place near our house called "Rolling Stone Pizza." I had seen it before when I patronized the nail salong next door. It looked clean and decent. The other great thing was that they have locally brewed beer on tap (Oceanside Ale Works!)

We arrived at the restaurant to find a group of teenagers and...a band! We sat as far away from the mayhem as we could get in the tiny establishment and ordered our food. While we waited the band began doing a sound check with the drums and microphones. Benjamin didn't like that at ALL! He kept complaining that it was too loud. I thought uh oh...we're going to have to take our food home to eat!

Eventually a pimply faced teenager with long curly hair and a Guns N' Roses t-shirt stepped up to the microphone. "Our band is called Schizophrenic...and this is our first gig!" GREAT....and teenage band that has never played in public before....just what I wanted to hear! Then they started playing...speed metal. It was a song that Nate recognized from the band "Slayer." I'm not a huge fan of speed metal...but they really weren't half bad! I was pleasantly surprised. I was however worried about Benjamin. I didn't need to worry though...when I looked over at him Benjamin had a HUGE smile on his face, he coloring book quickly became his "guitar" and he started rocking out. He was banging his head like he was in the mosh pit at a Metallica concert! He was having so much fun! I wonder if Benjamin is over his love of disco now?

Dream Weaver

2008-01-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

So Benjamin made a pretty big transition last week....he went from sleeping in his crib to sleeping in a "big boy" bed. Actually..it's a toddler bed that used the same mattress and, because it is SO low to the ground, actually appears smaller than his crib. But it is definitely a bed for a "big boy!"

Last Saturday we dragged the big box into the living room and Benjamin "helped" his Daddy build his new bed. He was actually doing very well...I had expected him to balk at the idea of a new bed...he was VERY attached to his crib. After the bed was put together we dismantled the crib and took it out to the garage. Again...no protest from Benjamin. We made the new bed with the new bedding I had purchased (Matching sheets, quilt and pillow shams with a train theme from Pottery Barn Kids.) and put all of his "babies" in their place. He brought over his "pillow bear" and placed it just where his head would lay at night. He was so excited he couldn't wait to climb in the bed! I thought, "Wow...this is going better than I expected!" But little did I know!!

Nap time the first day did NOT go well. He could not stay in the bed. We tried everything...talking to him, praising him for his efforts, threatening time outs if he got up....nothing worked. He didn't nap at all that first day but luckily, since he was so exhausted, he slept well that night. The next day was worse than the first. Not only would he NOT stay in bed but now he was taking all of the little toys he could find (airplanes, little people, cards, etc.) and DUMPING them in the middle of his bed. So each time he came out of his bedroom I had to clean everything off the bed before I could put him back in it...UGH!! I realized then that the transition was going to be just a little bit tougher and longer than I expected, but I was committed to helping him through it!

A few days into the "big boy bed" experience he began asking for his crib back. He said "I'm not a big boy Mommy...I'm a baby!" He told me he wanted his crib back or that he wanted to sleep in his Pack n' Play...one night he threatened to sleep on the floor. He told me his big boy bed was "scary" one day and I tried to explain how sometimes new things (or change) can be scary, but that after awhile we can get used to it. It's been just over a week and I am SO proud to announce that Benjamin has slept in his new bed for two naps in a row!! He IS such a big boy!!

During this whole transition Benjamin seemed to sleep just fine at night (thank goodness!) But one thing I did notice was that he seemed to be having very vivid dreams at night. A few morning he woke up and began talking about them...in one dream there was a lot of "traffic" but Diego helped us. In another dream there were pumpkins that were both scared AND scary and still another dream had a "monster" and a snake at church. It's so interesting that he would remember these dreams so well in the morning! It's also a great opportunity to talk about the difference between what is real and what is not real. The other day he asked me is he could have more "bad dreams." I asked him what he meant...he wanted to see the pumpkins again! I guess scary and scared pumpkins aren't that frightening after all!

I have photos (of course) of the whole experience....I'll post them as soon as they are uploaded to my computer!

Bad Blogger!

2007-12-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

Okay...I know...it's been like 6 weeks since I've posted anything. I'm such a bad blogger!! Life at the Huff Household has just been crazy busy lately, one giant sprint from Thanksgiving to the New Year, but no more excuses....I'll try to catch you all up.

Thanksgiving was an easy and relaxing holiday this year. We had our two great friends Elizabeth (Auntie Eli) and Courtney over for breakfast. We made these really yummy multi-grain pancakes and grilled chicken sausage (both from Trader Joe's...I highly recommend them.) Benjamin helped daddy make the pancakes by stirring the batter and I watched intently to make sure that he didn't put his fingers or any other inappropriate items into the bowl. Dinner was at a really nice restaurant called Carver's with about 10 members of the McCurdy clan. I don't believe anyone ate turkey (I had filet mignon...yum!) and Benjamin ordered the fish sticks which were shaped like little sharks. He had a blast eating their heads off! Craving some tradition (more than the turkey I think) I cooked my second turkey in 11 years the following week. It actually turned out really good (an organic brined turkey from Trader Joe's!) The only disappointment was that I couldn't find the roasted chesnuts for my stuffing, I'll have to buy them earlier next year!

Christmas...where to start! We bought out Christmas tree the week after Thanksgiving. Instead of going to Lowe's or Home Depot, where last year I was pulling fresh trees out of the back by myself and cutting them open to see them, we decided to go to a nursery for our tree this year. It was really nice to walk among the trees already on stands just waiting to be chosen. And even though our tree cost more than twice what it did last year (even with the coupon) we think it was worth the money. We got the tree home and dragged it into the house and Benjamin was so excited! He kept saying "Yippee! Yippee! It's Christmas time!" and that was even before we put any lights or ornaments on the tree! Benjamin had so much fun helping to decorate the tree, even though he kept putting all of his ornaments on the same branch! Even a month later he still asks every morning "Mommy turn on my Christmas tree!"

Santa Claus was a BIG hit this year with Benjamin. Last year he wanted nothing to do with the man in red. We tried FOUR times to take him to see Santa (I read somewhere to try a few times to see if a child will become less fearful) each time he would take one look at Santa and say "Nope...No!" So this year I decided to start talking up Santa hoping to build some excitement. Sometime in October I began to talk about seeing Santa Claus, which turned out to be a bit of a problem because Benjamin kept telling people in the store that he wanted to see Santa Claus....and it wasn't even Halloween yet! But I guess it worked because he just could not wait to see him. Our first visit with Santa this year was purely by accident. I was at the mall with Benjamin picking out a shirt to wear for Thanksgiving (yes...Santa came early this year!) For some inexplicable reason Benjamin didn't want to leave the mall (usually he's begging to leave the minute we get there...he's not much of a shopper) so I asked if he wanted to ride in the glass elevator. When we got downstairs there was Santa!! There was no line so Benjamin was able to walk right up and talk with him, give him a hug and a high five. Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas and Benjamin said "to see the reindeer." After the second visit with Santa he got smart and started asking for a "choo choo train" instead!

We spent Christmas this year at Grandma Suzy's and Grandpa Danny's in Bakersfield. It was a wonderfully relaxing holiday, although it took a lot of work to get there! I started working/training at my new job about a week and a half before Christmas (more about that later!) I worked almost every day either full time or part time and I still had to get all the presents wrapped, do our laundry and pack for our trip! But we packed the car to the brim and headed up highway 5 the Saturday before Christmas. Benjamin had so much fun playing with his cousins Sam and Simon and we all had a lot of fun watching them. On Christmas Eve we let the boys open two gifts each, one was a pair of Christmas pajamas (a tradition in our family) and one was a small toy. The next morning Nate and I woke Benjamin to let him know that Santa Claus had been there!! He was SO excited!! The first thing he saw when he went into the living room was a package of dinosaurs...and he had to play with them that very minute! He didn't want to stop playing with them to open the rest of his gifts! Finally we convinced him to sit down and open the presents....there were so many....he had a lot of work to do! He would unwrap each present and then ask if he could play with each present...he loved everything!! Later that morning Benjamin's cousins came over to have breakfast (more multi-grain pancakes and chicken sausage...yum!) and open more presents. All three boys were so excited!! It was a really great Christmas.

Benjamin is "Puzzled!"

2007-11-18T15:31:00.001-08:00

Once in awhile Benjamin just shocks the heck out of me! That happened again recently when he appeared to gain a new skill overnight...the skill of putting together puzzles!

We haven't really done puzzles with Benjamin yet...he seemed a little too young. We do have those wooden puzzles where you fit the animal in the right spot but not a true puzzle with interlocking pieces. One day we were at our local "Chick-Fil-A" restaurant (I don't know if they have these where you are...but it is a pretty good place for fast food...just chicken!) Benjamin was eating the chicken strips kids' meal which came with a prize...a box of puzzles. Each puzzle was a picture of some animal with some interesting factoids about them. Each puzzles was double sided with three interlocking pieces.

At first Benjamin became VERY frustrated because he couldn't fit the pieces together. I encouraged him to try to do it but he just wanted ME to do it. I offered to help by us BOTH holding the pieces and putting them together. We put all the puzzles together and then it was time for bed. The next morning Benjamin was playing while I was chatting on the phone. Before I knew it he'd gotten the box of puzzles and put ALL the puzzles together BY HIMSELF!! He'd gotten all the pieces matched correctly too!! He was SO proud of himself so I took a picture of him with his completed work!

A Special "Thank You" from/to Auntie Eli

2007-11-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

Our friend Elizabeth (Benjamin's "Auntie Eli") moved back to San Diego recently. She had been living in The Netherlands on a two year contract with her company. She left when Benjamin was a month old and was able to see him a few times when she returned for work or a short visit. Since she has returned home permanently Auntie Eli has become one of Benjamin's very favorite people. I'm so glad she is home and Benjamin is just happy to be able to see her pretty much whenever he wants!

When Elizabeth was making her move back to San Diego she asked me to help out a little with the purchase of her new home. I was happy to oblige...anything to make it easier for her to be home!! Unfortunately some of the helpful things were quite time consuming and aggravating!! I had to sign all the loan documents, get the bank to accept my Power of Attorney so that I could have the cashier's check for her down payment, and best of all, I had to get the seller to FINALLY get out of the house after it had closed...ugh!!! Lucky for me Elizabeth had a fantastic way to say "Thank You" to me!

My gift from Elizabeth was a night spent at The La Jolla Shores Hotel in La Jolla and a gift card for dinner at The Shores restaurant. The best part of the gift...she offered to babysit Benjamin over night. A night away for Nate and Cindy...a dream!!
Here's a picture of the hotel from the beach. Our room was on the third floor, second room from the right. The room was AWESOME!!! There was champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us. We could open the sliding glass door and hear the roar of the ocean..it was unbelievable! We had a nice dinner at the restaurant...we went all out! We had appetizers, wine and dessert with port. Everything was just incredible. Then we went back to the room, slipped on the cozy robes they provide in the room and sat out on the deck all night. In the morning we resumed out seats on the balcony and watched the beach combers. We saw surfers, kayakers, divers and tourists playing in the surf. After breakfast we took a long walk along the beach. It was pure heaven! The best part of the whole thing was that Benjamin had SUCH a good time with his Auntie Eli...although he was very happy to see us when we returned home! So a very special "Thank You" goes out to Auntie Eli for such a special gift from such a special friend!

"Kumeez Guys!"

2007-11-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Much to our dismay...Benjamin has recently learned out to climb out of his bed. It happened for the first time the night before Halloween. Nate was in Houston on business and I was talking on the phone. All of a sudden out runs Benjamin from his room! I was pretty shocked. So I put him back to bed and reminded him over and over again that he was NOT to climb out of his bed. I would ask him "when Mommy leaves the room are you going to climb out of your bed?" and he would say "Yes!" with a lot of enthusiasm. Luckily that night he stayed put, but the next morning he came running into my bedroom announcing "I AWAKE!"

So it's been a few days and, with lots of reminding, Benjamin hasn't climbed out of his bed since....until tonight. We were sitting in the living room when out runs Benjamin saying "Kumeez (excuse me) guys...I have poop!" So we changed his diaper and put him back to bed with another reminder to "Stay in Bed!" Of course, now that he is becoming so bothered by his poopy diapers....I guess potty training is coming next...Yikes!!

Adoptive Friends Playgroup at the Patch!

2007-11-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Each year our "Adoptive Friends Playgroup" gets together at a local pumpkin patch. This year we went to the Pumpkin Station at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. They have all sorts of fun rides, a petting zoo and, of course, lots of pumpkins. Due to the fires recently in San Diego the group had to be rescheduled and only a few of us could make it. I hope next year we can see all the children there! Here are photos of Pirate Benjamin and his friends, Cheerleader Grace and Ethan who plans to dress up as a trash can for Halloween!

Carving "Janet Lockturns"

2007-11-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that we have carved pumpkins for Halloween with Benjam. Since Benjamin was born we have spent the holiday with family and haven't been home. This year I was really looking forward to the decorating and Trick-or-Treating!

First we went to Bate's Nut Farm (or as we like to call it...Nate's Butt Farm!) which is an annual tradition. Benjamin picked out a few pumpkins, took a pony ride, looked at the animals and generally had a great time. He was so pleased that his "Auntie Eli" (our friend Elizabeth) was able to join him this year. Elizabeth moved temporarily to The Netherlands just a month after Benjamin was born and just moved home permanently about a month ago.

To practice for the pumpkin carving I bought Benjamin this fun little pumpkin craft from Starbucks. The pumpkins were all blank and Benjamin and I put on the included stickers to make the pumpkins. Benjamin was, of course, most impressed by the pirate pumpkin!

Finally the day to carve pumpkins had arrived but Benjamin was surprisingly uninterested! Nate designed and carved the pumpkins while I scooped out the pumpkin guts. Once the first Jack o' Lantern was finished Benjamin was excited!! He started calling it a "Janet Lockturn" and couldn't wait to see the next completed one. We nicknamed the white pumpkin "ghost" for obvious reasons!

Boredom is the mother of necessity

2007-10-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

So..as I'm sure you've heard, we had a few little fires here in San Diego County last week. Actually the fires are still burning...just not as ferociously as they were. Luckily we never had to evacuate, although we did make a list of what to bring in the event we had to go. Needless to say...with all the t.v. coverage about "Firestorm 2007" and the inability to go outside because of the poor air quality...it was a boring week!

Nate and I were out in the backyard this morning in our masks cleaning the ashes and soot of our new patio furniture. We diligently vacuumed and then cleaned each piece of furniture and it began to rain just as we finished...thank goodness!! That is not what this blog entry is about though....what it's about is what happend INSIDE the house while we were outside!

Benjamin was inside the house entertaining himself, as usual, when he came to the window and started saying "Mommy! Daddy! I made Mickey Mouse!" Nate and I were like.."huh?" Nate decided to go inside and investigate. Once he'd seen it he told me I had to go look at what Benjamin had made. Somewhere he'd found a quarter, nickel and a dime and made "Mickey Mouse" from them on the table. Isn't he brilliant?!?

I promise I did not manipulate those coins before I took the photo! He was so proud of himself. He just kept saying over and over how he'd "made Mickey Mouse." I had to leave the coins there all morning!

Sing.....Sing A Song!!

2007-10-18T23:37:00.001-07:00

So Benjamin has taken to bossing me around. It's really quite cute...for a two year old (but I can imagine it might get a little old with an older child!) He tells me "Sing Mama....SING!" or my personal favorite...."Dance Mama...DANCE!" At least it gets me a little exercise!

Benjamin also does his own singing. Some of his personal favorites are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle Twinkle." But recently he's been singing some songs that I wasn't aware he knew. The best part is to listen to his personal rendition of the songs. Here are a few of my favorites:

Old McDonald Had A....Horn?

Ole Dunald heed ferm
E-YI-YI-YI-YO
Beep! Beep! Here...Beep! Beep! Here...Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Are You Sleeping?

Why you sleepin'? Why you sleepin'?
Brubber Gee....Brubber Gee
(This is where I think he moves into the French Version of the song!)

My favorite part of Benjamin's singing had to be the other day. I was changing his diaper and a song popped into my head (as is often the case) so I began to sing, "Ooooh baby I love your ways...everyday yeah." And without missing a beat Benjamin sings back his reply " I love you too...ooooooh!" I'm such a lucky mom!

By the way...I promise to put some more photos up on the blog soon!

I'm madly in love....

2007-09-21T19:27:00.001-07:00

I am madly in love....with Benjamin. Is it weird to say you are madly in love with your two year old son?? I can't help it, he's just so spectacular!! His loud little chuckle just melts my heart. He can be crying, kicking, throwing a complete fit and I just look at his soft little cheeks and want to kiss them. If he's done something inappropriate and I'm looking at him and explaining why he isn't supposed to be taking trash OUT of the trash can (for example) he'll just look at me with his big eyes and say "Mama mad?" and crack that beautiful smile and I'm a goner. I just want to kiss his little cheeks and hug him!

Everything he says and does is brilliant, amazing and super fantastic (at least to Nate and I!) For instance (you had to know I would be sharing a story!) tonight he was riding his "Diego" scooter through the house (yes...I let him ride it in the house) singing a song. When I started paying attention I realized that he had made up his own song....he calls it the "Belly" song. It goes something like this......"Belllly.....Belllly.....Belly Belly....ahhhhh!" BRILLIANT!!

It's fun to be a girl!

2007-09-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

So...after being a mom for a couple of years I've finally re-entered the land of "girly-ness." When I stopped working I didn't really see the need to spend the time (or money) on all those girly things like coloring my hair, make-up, pedicures, waxing my brows, etc. Recently I've decided that just because I'm a full tim mom doesn't mean I can't look good! I found a GREAT new hairdresser that gave me a really good cut and updated my color. I am now back to having blonde-ish highlights, I really like it better than having my hair dark brown. I had my brows waxed at a local Aveda salon....or maybe I should say I was SCALPED at the local Aveda salon. Now I am in the process of growing out my eyebrows so I can take them to a different place to be waxed.....one that believes people shouldn't have that "YIKES!" look on their face because they have no brows! The best thing I've found recently is a new line of cosmetics called "Jane Iredale." You can't get them everywhere and I was introduced to them at a hair salon. They are "minerals" cosmetics and are supposedly good for your skin. I just like them because I can put it on and it lasts all day long.....no shiny red face for me!! I use a pressed powder, eye shadow, blush, eyeliner (so smooth it doesn't "pull" your eye skin when you put it on) and their mascara which I adore. The mascara is a soft brown color which is better for me than black since I am getting older (and those crows feet have begun to show around my eyes!) the mascara is also the only brand in recent years that has not made my eyes burn,itch and water when I put it on, and it also does not flake off leaving smudges around my eyes. All in all it gives me a very natural and soft look but evens out my skin tones and, most importantly, makes me feel pretty!!

What's For Dinner?

2007-08-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

I've decided that not ALL the posts on this blog have to be about Benjamin. I mean...I actually have other things in my life happening! One thing that happens quite frequently is dinner....so I decided to post new, different or interesting meals as they occur.

Tonight's dinner was fast, healthy and yummy! I was at Trader Joe's doing my shopping the other day when I saw a "Fully Cooked Seasoned Pork Roast." The description doesn't sound too interesting but basically it is a very lean port roast sealed in a bag with BBQ sauce. I thought I'd give it a try....how can anything smothered in BBQ sauce be bad!?

Since I was short on time I decided to cook in the microwave according to the directions on the bag....just 10 minutes! One note...it says to put several "punctures" in the bag and place it on a microwave safe plate. What it failed to mention is that there is actually another bag inside this bag....and if you don't puncture that bag it will explode...just a little! Luckily I had neglected to take off the outer bag so there was no mess to deal with.

After cooking I shredded the roast and put it on hamburger buns (the whole wheat ones at Trader Joe's are also very yummy!) and we had a version of pulled pork sandwiches. It was a little fussy to shred (the drawback of having lean meat is that it isn't always super juicy!) However, the mealwas really good and I will probably make it again.

I give this meal 4 out of 5 stars ****

So...what is a yak anyway??

2007-08-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

I know that all parents think their children are brilliant.....I am well aware of those little things they look for that confirm that their children are gifted. That being said.....I'm fairly certain that Benjamin is a genius, and I have the proof!!

Awhile ago I bought Benjamin these little wooden alphabet blocks. I liked that they looked sort of old fashioned and they all had letters and numbers on them (that's me....always finding an opportunity to educate!) He's played with the blocks off and on but recently he's really been into them. He likes to ceremonially dump all the blocks out of their little bag onto the floor and then build "choo choo" train with them. Basically that's the blocks all lined up single file across the coffee table. He is surprisingly adept of keeping the blocks in a very straight line but, although impressive, that's not the brilliant part.

The other thing he likes to do with the blocks is to build a "tower." At first he demanded that Nate or I build the block tower so that he could swiftly knock it down (arguably the best part!) After a few days he began to build his own towers. He's really good at stacking the blocks one on top of the other. So far his record is 14 blocks stacked on top of one another, but that's not the brilliant part either!

The other day we were feeling sort of lazy (okay...it was me...I was feeling lazy) and didn't really want to go through the effort of building a tower. Benjamin began to hand me the blocks one by one and I would tell him what letter was on each block and the corresponding pictures that demonstrated the letter (do you see where I'm going with this?? There really is a yak in the story!)

"This block has the letter 'N.' It makes the sound 'nnnnn' like 'nest' and 'needle.' 'Nest' and 'Needle' start with the letter 'N.' There's about 60 blocks with each letter being represented twice and some that just have numbers. So the next day Benjamin is building his block "choo choo" again. He picks up the block with the letter "Y" and says "Oh....Yak!" WHAT?!?! Nate and I just looked at each other with disbelief. Then we both wondered aloud...."So...what is a yak?" We better find out quickly because our child is most certainly a genius!

more sad news.....

2007-08-05T16:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I'm having to write this post......I can't believe what happened.....our beloved little doggie has died. We are a family with no pets.....I feel so sad!!

We woke up Saturday morning and noticed that Penny didn't seem to be around. We thought she must have gotten out of the yard, even though she'd never really gotten out before. Nate drove through the neighborhood, up and down every street, in and out of every cul-de-sac. I walked up and down the streets with Benjamin, asking every person I ran into if they'd seen a little black and white dog running around.....no one had. I immediately put together a "Lost Dog" flyer offering a reward for her safe return. We knew that if someone had Penny they may decide to keep her....she was so friendly and loving. As I was on the phone with the Humane Society, giving them a description of our Penny, Nate made a gruesome discovery.

With the small bits of evidence we found we have determined that Penny must have been killed and carried away by coyotes. We figure she must have heard something in the middle of the night and gone out to investigate....she probably thought she was going to play with something. She loved spending time chasing little field mice and lizards in our backyard. We've searched and searched for her remains, we'd really like the chance to bury her, but we haven't had any luck yet.

Penny was the best dog we ever could have hoped for. We searched for the best dog and once we laid eyes on her we knew she was the one. She was so gregarious and wanted nothing more than to sit in your lap and lick your face. The house feels so quiet without her. I miss hearing her clanking collar when she was running to greet me, I can hardly sleep without the sound of her snoring in her little dog bed at the foot of ours, and all those little snorts and snuffs when she was trying to find some remnant of Benjamin's dinner on the floor. I miss petting the soft spot on her squashed little nose and I miss the bare spot on her curly Q tail.

Benjamin hasn't really seemed to notice Penny being gone. It was the same when Oliver passed away. Of course, we had time to get used to Oliver being gone with all the doctor's visits, tests, medications, etc. We knew that Oliver was sick with cancer, that he hadn't eaten in weeks and that his death would end his suffering. Several days after Oliver was gone Benjamin told me the kitty had gone "night night." He's so intuitive and smart! With Penny gone I think Benjamin is just concerned because Nate and I have been so upset. He told Nate yesterday that "Mama sad." It just broke my heart!

I know that some day we will bring a new pet into our family. We even talked a bit today about what kind of dog we might like, but it made me miss Penny too badly. I think we'll have to take some time to heal the grief before we are ready to love a new furry friend. It just feels so weird not to have a pet, to not have to go to the pet store for anything, not have to worry about arranging for a pet sitter for an out of town trip. I'm sure we'll get used to it eventually. As for the rest of you with pets of your own.....make sure you hug them, hold them and love them while you can!

Huff Family Road Trip!

2007-07-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, this posting is LONG overdue. It's amazing how busy life can get sometimes...especially with a toddler! So, as part of our Huff family tradition, we took our summer road trip this June.We had the pleasure of traveling through 4 states!! Our destination.....Utah.

We left on Saturday morning headed for St. George, Utah. This is the town we stayed in while waiting for ICPC (state to state paperwork) to clear when we brought Benjamin home. We drove 7 hours through the desert, passing through Nevada, Arizona and into Utah. Benjamin slept in the car for about 2 hours the whole trip! He was just so curious about what was out his window and he wanted to listen to his "Backyardigans" music that we brought along on the iPod.
The next morning we headed up to the Salt Lake City area where Benjamin was born and his birthfamily still lives. We spent a few days just visiting with Vie and her family. Benjamin attended his first drumming circle, explored the mountains with Vie and was generally spoiled by everyone.....especially Grandma J! The first night we were there Grandma J took Benjamin to the store that she works to meet her co-workers. When they returned it looked like Benjamin had been to the County Fair! He had on a cowboy hat, a stuffed horse (that he sleeps with every night now), a balloon, and the dazed look of a child that has riden too many rides. The only thing missing was some puffy pink cotton candy! We all had such a great time visiting our Utah family!

Upon leaving Sandy City we drove the 5 hours to Springdale, Utah. This is the town just outside of Zion National Park. It's just a small town with a main road that has all the hotels, restaurants and tourist stops. We stayed at a hotel called "Flanigan's" which was just wonderful. They had a labrynth that was just a short little walk up a hill next to the hotel. We had fun our first morning walking around the labrynth and taking photos of the gorgeous red mountains.

Over the next several days we did some hiking all around Zion. I cant' even describe the beauty that we saw...it was just majestic.

The nicest thing about the trip was that once we parked our car at the hotel we didn't have to drive again! The town of Springdale has a shuttle bus that picks you up from one of 6 stops (one was just out in front of our hotel) and takes you to wherever you want to go. Each night we would take the shuttle to the restaurant of our choice for dinner and each day we rode the shuttle into Zion park. Once inside the park there is another shuttle that drives you through the 90 minute scenic drive. You can get off at one of the many spots and look around, hike, take photos and then hop on the next shuttle....they came every 6 minutes or so. Benjamin really liked riding the "choo choo bus" as he called it!

The first day in the park we decided to get off the shuttle bus to hike (walk) the "Riverside Walk." It was mostly paved or packed dirt and went along the Virgin River. Benjamin really got into the "hike" and seemed to be having such a great time. We walked for almost 2 hours and then Benjamin became very very tired. We got to the shuttle stop and I guess he figured we weren't going home if we got on the bus....he started saying "No Bus...NO BUS!" and "No Hike!" as loud as he could. By the time we got back to the hotel he tried to put himself to bed in the Pack n' Play!

The next day Benjamin was all excited to get on the "choo choo bus" and take a hike. We rode the shuttle to the "Weeping Rock" hike. It is a short but fairly steep hike. As soon as we stepped off the shuttle Benjamin began to say "No Hike" and Nate ended up having to carry him all the way to the top! It was so worth it though to see the hanging gardens and feel the cool mist from the water "weeping" from the sandstone rock.

Our last day at Zion we got smart....and brought our all terrain stroller into the park. We decided to do the "Emerald Pools" hike which was just a couple of hours of hiking. The last day was a bit warmer than the other days (Zion was experiencing abnormally cook weather while we were there...in the '70s with a light breeze...just perfect!) We stopped along the way to let Benjamin explore rocks, sticks, dirt and lizards!

The end of this trail ended at a pool (although not so emerald....or impressive!) with smooth, cool sandstone cliffs and several small waterfalls...it was just beautiful! Once we finished our hike and began to walk back to the shuttle bus, I looked down and saw that Benjamin had fallen deep asleep in his stroller....what a big week for such a big boy!

Goodbye Furry Friend

2007-06-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

It is with much sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved friend Oliver. He really was a fantastic little kitty, always using the litter box, never scratching on the furniture and wanting nothing more than to be with his family. Oliver always knew if I felt sad or stressed out and would come to comfort me with his loud purring. I always felt better after petting his soft furry tummy or rubbing noses with him. He was just a sweet little fluffy orange lovey and I miss him already!

Two Monkeys & A Pirate......

2007-05-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know.....it's been awhile since I've update the website....sorry!!! Life has been busy lately! Benjamin (and 40 of his closest friends and relatives) celebrated his 2nd birthday with a big Elmo birthday bash at That Pizza Place. It's sort of become a tradition to party at That Pizza Place since we were there for Benjamin's baby shower and his first birthday party. There was lots of fun to be had by all, loads of good pizza and cake and lots of fantastic presents for the birthday boy. Benjamin, of course, grew bored of opening gifts halfway through so it was up to Mommy and Daddy to continue for him. He was mostly interested riding the "horse" over in the corner by the video games. I don't think he's EVER going to get over his obsession with horses!

We were lucky enough that Benjamin's birthmom "Vie" was able to come out for the birthday party and spend a week at our house! I'm sure we bored her to death with our daily routine of playgroups, grocery shopping, walks at the harbor, etc. but we were thrilled that she was there! She gave Benjamin a skateboard (or as he calls it..."B-Bore") for his birthday. It's SUPER cool looking and very durable...it will last forever. He LOVES it and tries to jump on and ride whenever he gets the chance. I really think he knows HOW to ride the skateboard...he just can't get his 2 year old body to cooperate!

Benjamin was also the recipient of some birthday gifts through the mail. His Grandma J sent him some neat books and some stuff animals. One is a really soft beanie baby stuff monkey and the other is a furry stuffed monkey with bunny ears (Ben's birthday was several days before Easter!) Ever since Benjamin received these special monkeys he has to have them in bed with him every night. For those who were unaware....Benjamin already had a bedtime pal he was sleeping with every night....Uniqua, dressed as a pirate! For those of you who aren't lucky enough to watch cartoons made for 2 year olds, Uniqua is a character from Benjamin's all time (really his only) favorite tv show....The Backyardigans. Uniqua is a pink salamander looking character with dark pink dots. In one show she is a pirate looking for treasure, hence the pirate hat and pirate eye patch. This stuffed Uniqua also sings songs from the pirate show and tells us that "a pirate says arggghhhh!" So...now as I put Benjamin to bed, with his purple kitty pillow position just right (yes...it came clean....let's all say thanks to my wonderful husband Nate who braved putting it in the washing machine & dryer!) then I have to position the bear pillow just right. Then Benjamin puts his head on the kitty pillow and then, in this exact order, Uniqua, monkey and monkey bunny lay on the bear pillow. Then I have to cover them ALL with one blanket at a time (yes he still has the blanket thing going on too!) Then I am required to kiss each one goodnight! If one of these characters is missing he tells me "Mama.....Mama....arggghhhhh (for Uniqua) or "Ooo....Ooo (for the monkey.) I just hope by the time he goes away to college that he's over these weird nightime routines!! "Night Night Benjamin.....Night Night pirate Uniqua....Night Night Monkey....Night Night Monkey Bunny!"

Music To My Ears....

2007-03-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was a particularly grueling day trying to shop with a toddler. Benjamin used to be such a great little shopper!! Now...he's perfectly happy as long as you are strolling him around but the second you try to wheel him into a store he begins to protest.....he's becoming more and more like his daddy every day!!

So after this shopping excursion The Huff family was in the car driving home. We were listening to the radio when a sort of sappy, mellow song came on the air...I wish I could remember what song it was!! Anyhow...pretty soon I can hear some noise coming from the back seat...it's Benjamin....singing his little heart out!!

"blew....ba...moum...la...la...lou....doo.....wee....da.....Mama.

Mamaaaaaaaa.....Dada....Dadaaaaaaaa....blah....wee....doo....la"

It just brought tears to my eyes to hear him sing like that!! He's such a precocious little boy...I couldn't be prouder to be his mommy......even when he's protesting a shopping excursion!

Ridin' the Range

2007-03-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well....it's official....Benjamin wants to be a cowboy!! It all started earlier last week with a new word that Nate and I couldn't quite figure out. After some detailed conversation we finally discovered the in "Benjamin-ease" the word "hoo-haw" means "horse." He's obsessed with the hoo-haw. He first noticed it on his favorite show The Backyardigans....his two favorite episodes are "Ridin' the Range" with cowboy Tyrone and the "Cowboy Polka" (don't ask!!!).

So today I received some new summer clothes that I had ordered for Benjamin. In the box was the fishing hat I requested. I'm hoping that this summer he will FINALLY agree to wear a hat and sunglasses when he's outside!! I also found a cool pair of sunglasses that had arrived (they were only $1.97!) I opened the items and Benjamin wanted to wear the hat and sunglasses. Once they were on he began to strut around the house and move his shoulders up and down like he was dancing. Then he immediately grabbed his big stuffed doggie and began to "ride" the doggie all over the living room....it was hilarious! To see Benjamin riding his "hoo-haw" check out the link here: www.msnusers.com/huffadoption and click on the "documents" tab to the left.

Benjamin was surprisingly cooperative for the camera when I took this photo....towards the end though you can tell that he felt like a celebrity trying to get away from the paparazzi.....

How many blankets does it take???

2007-03-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

I can only thank Nate for this new habit of Benjamin's.....there is no one else to blame!! As you may have read in a previous post, when Benjamin goes to bed (or "nigh nigh") he is quite particular about where his pillow is in relationship to the crib (by the way....the bear pillow if working out just great!) and he lays down the same way each time (like a stink bug!) and then you have to cover him with the blanket of his choice. Now, whenever Benjamin goes to bed he has to be covered by no less than 5 blankets! And not only does he need these 5 blankets in order to be able to sleep but you have to lay them out one at a time covering him from head to toe! The best part is that now (thanks to me!) you have to count out each blanket. 1......2.....3......4......5!! Since Benjamin was only able to count 2 before (not up to 2.....just 2) I guess it's good for learning his numbers!

Benjamin also tried a new class at "The Little Gym" the other day. When we arrived at the Little Gym Benjamin opened his mouth in awe as he saw a gigantic room full of red, blue and yellow cushions, parallel bars, balance beams, etc. He could not WAIT to get into that room to get started!! The teacher assured me that his age group, 19 mos. to 2.5 years (they call them the "beasts"), would not be required to sit on the red mat during class time. In fact, she said the mommies (and one grandpa last week!) should stay on the mat and participate in class and allow the babies to run around the room. This way they would eventually learn how to participate with the group. So, maybe I should have started out by saying that I tried out a new class at The Little Gym and Benjamin ran around like a crazy person!! Works for me!!!

Weekend Attire

2007-02-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

When Benjamin woke up this morning he insisted that his dad put on this bandana "hat." Just so you know, anything that manages to stay on his head for 3 seconds is deemed a "hat." This would include such items as....a piece of paper, some pajama bottoms, actual hats, a hangar and this bandana. He was thrilled to have on his "hat" and (if you hadn't noticed) his gardening gloves!! Sometimes a picture IS worth a thousand words!!

The Saga of the Purple Kitty Pillow

2007-02-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Many of you may have heard me talk about Benjamin's purple kitty pillow, but for those who don't know the whole story, let me start at the beginning. Sometime last summer Benjamin and I were shopping for a birthday present for his friend Grace. Since it was Grace's 1st birthday, and she's such a girly girl, I decided to buy this furry little pink kitty pillow. Benjamin, who is always fond of furry things, decided that he also needed to have a pillow. So, since I am such a pushover, I found the most boyish one I could find.....a turquoise colored pillow with a purple kitty.

Benjamin loved this pillow from the very beginning. He wouldn't even let go of it long enough to put it in a Toys R Us bag....he hugged it all the way to the car and all the way home. He dragged the pillow around the house and at some point, I decided it would be cute to put it in his crib. A decision I am sorely regretting! Ever since that first nap with the puple kitty pillow, he will not...CAN not sleep without his purple kitty pillow!

Now I wasn't too annoyed by this new pillow habit. It was sort of cute at first. Then it became just a little weird....he has to get the pillow....kitty faced down.....put it in the left upper corner of the crib, just right before he deems it perfect for sleeping. And even still this wasn't a problem until......the pillow became dirty!! I hadn't even considered this possibility....you can't WASH a purple kitty pillow in the washing machine!! So after some research on the internet I decided I would wash the surface of the pillow with some Woolite and let it air dry. I knew eventually I would have to put the pillow in the laundry....that drool and stuff doesn't just stick to the outside of the pillow! But I become paralyzed by fear.....what if the pillow became ruined??? How would Benjamin ever sleep again?!?!

So today was the day....at naptime we attempted to put him down without the pillow so I could wash it....yea RIGHT!!! He's no dummy....he was NOT going to go down without that pillow. So since Nate and I both wanted a little nap too....we gave him the pillow back. We realized we were going to have to find a temporary substitute! After naptime we headed to Toys R Us...our choices were.....a purple pillow with the word "Cutie" written in cursive pink lettering, a pink poodle pillow and....YEA...a blue bear pillow!! PERFECT!! We showed the bear to Benjamin and it met with his approval (although it was dropped within seconds of seeing a racetrack that appeared more interesting!)

So tonight is the night....we snuck the purple kitty pillow out of Benjamin's room without him seeing. I put the blue bear pillow in it's place. After Nate put Benjamin in his pajamas and read a story he put him in bed. Initially Benjamin picked up the pillow and said "no....nope....lillow?" but when Nate wouldn't give in (yea Nate!) Benjamin finally resigned himself to sleeping on the blue bear pillow. Wish us luck that it works!!! Now I just have to figure out what to buy to get him over the Blue Bear Pillow eventually!!! A problem for another day....

Do You Speak Benjamin-ease??

2007-02-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

I was realizing recently that Benjamin's vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds! The only obstacle is that sometimes it sounds like he's speaking a foreign language. For those that are challenged in speaking Benjamin-ease here is a list of translations:

doga ~ dog
mouw ~ cat
awa ~ water
lillow ~ pillow
chis ~ cheese
nigh nigh ~ time for bed
die die ~ goodbye
go-ga ~ bicycle
nie-num ~ Simon (his cousin)
blnumna ~ banana
mik! ~ milk
el-O ~ hello
dat, dat, dat!! ~ I want that (object)
doot doot ~ Choo Choo train
no, NO, NO! ~ I don't want this, I don't want to do this, I don't want to go there, I don't want to eat this, etc.
ga-ma ~ Grandma
bebe ~ a baby or child of any age, also meaning Benjamin
poop! ~ I have a poopy diaper
bah ~ bath

di-doo ~ Thank you

paes ~ Please

kaker ~ cracker or cookie

hoo-haw ~ horse

Two Peas In a......ear?

2007-02-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

Where is a camera when you need one?? The other night after dinner I was playing with Benjamin. He was running around, crazy as usual when I noticed something green coming from his right ear. What the.... it was a smashed pea!! And before you ask....yes....we had peas that night for dinner! So I pulled the smashed pea out of his ear when I noticed another pea shoved into the opening to his ear canal! Luckily it wasn't stuck and I pulled it out easily with my finger nail. Upon further investigation.....I found two more peas in his left ear!! So is this what I have to look forward to now....Benjamin shoving peas and various other objects in his ears??? Goodness I hope he doesn't figure out that his nostrils have an opening.

Welcome to the new Blog!

2007-02-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well it had just been too long since I'd posted on my other blog. The format had changed and just looking at it made my head hurt. So, I ignored it for awhile and then decided to start a new blog here. If you feel the need to read anything off the old blog go to: http://we3huffs.spaces.live.com/ and read all you like! Time for dinner now...check back again for more stories about The Huffs!

~Cindy